Merry WHITE Christmas, updated :-)

Wow! A surprise Christmas present from Mother Nature! This morning we woke up to snow — melting quickly, of course — but enough that I was able to snap a few shots, so at least we’ll have photos to remember the occasion.

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A snow covered Cholla cactus — quite the sight!

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So wherever you are, if you were disappointed not to have a white Christmas, I guess it was our turn! πŸ™‚

Now, back to the original post … πŸ˜‰

I like my catnip toys better, thanks anyway!

I like my catnip toys better, thanks anyway!

What is it about kittens and young cats? They’re so full of energy, and so much fun to watch, as long as there’s no camera handy. Then, everything’s a toy — push pins, Q-tips, grapes, pistachios, bags of all sorts, scatter rugs … if you’ve ever had a kitten, you probably know.

So, hoping to get a cute sort of holiday spirit photo quickly, I put a few bows on the floor. Oh, the kittens all came and sniffed at them … but the photo above captures their unanimous reaction best, our pretty little Xena (above) giving me her most earnest “Mama, are you nuts?” eyes.

Well, I tried … next year I’ll have to plan ahead better. I’m bound to have better luck if I start in … say, July. πŸ˜‰

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all!

 

7 Comments to “Merry WHITE Christmas, updated :-)”

  1. MamaLiberty Says:

    Cats are like that! My mother had a big cat that had to be shut into the bathroom if she left the house because she was so destructive – but only if left alone. One day shortly before Christmas, she got left out for who knows what reason, and spent the time we were away unwrapping all of the presents under the tree. She made absolute confetti out of the mess. Then, growing bored with the strings, papers and box corners to chew off, she undecorated the tree as far up as she could reach. It was our great luck that she was either too tired/lazy to climb up farther, or we came home in the nick of time. We had a great laugh at the whole thing – which insulted her terribly – and were glad that none of the presents themselves were damaged. We did have an interesting time figuring out what went to whom… since the gift tags were all in shreds and mixed with the debris.

    Next time, put the bows in a deep box with a hole cut in the side. Maybe sprinkle them with catnip. Then tell the kitties very firmly that they are NOT allowed to play in there. Have the camera ready… πŸ™‚

    And I wish you all the very best of holidays, and a peaceful, prosperous new year.

  2. Vince Says:

    That kitten is the clone of our two year old tabby. She loves rubber bands for some reason. Make a snapping noise with one and she comes running, even out of a full sleep. Then, let her see it and shoot it down the hallway and off she goes after it, skidding to a stop on the linoleum. And brings it back for another round!

  3. MamaLiberty Says:

    We only got an inch or so from this last storm, last night and this morning. Hoping for a good snow pack over the next three or four months, since every inch of snow is that much more insurance against wild fires… not to mention water in the aquifers.

    But I remember well how nice it was to get some snow when I lived in the desert. Not too long before I left, we got 14 inches in February or March, I can’t recall exactly. Not enough to really make a snowman or do any sledding, but the children in the valley certainly tried hard to do both.

  4. Vin's Brunette Says:

    Rubber bands are good fun too, Vince! Xena’s favorite thing, oddly enough, seems to be paper clips … if I’m dealing with paperwork, she’ll come and steal my paperclips one by one, then hide them all under the carpet. Oh, and skidding on the linoleum — that’s an Olympic sport around here, LOL. We’ve got to walk carefully, lest one of us get bowled over by a top speed kitten chase. They must figure they get extra points for dashing straight between our legs as we’re walking. πŸ˜‰

    Mama, I’m not sure how much we got exactly — it was melting so fast, by the time I got bundled up and went out with the camera (and coffee, of course.) I’d say each of our cars had about an inch in places … turning to slush before my eyes. It’s the first time I’ve seen any accumulation here — usually if we get snow at all, it’s a few stray flakes. But we could certainly use the snow pack here too, of course.

    BTW, our Christmas tree this year is something like yours — a little potted pine. We decorated it with a string of lights, but except for a single ornament Vin stuck on the top, we don’t want to risk the kittens knocking them off and hiding them all over the house. Maybe next year. πŸ™‚

  5. MamaLiberty Says:

    It didn’t have anything to do with cats, but I vividly remember taking a wild ride down the slick floor in the hallway more than once after stepping on little Tonka trucks or Matchbox cars left behind by little boys. Those things are incredibly tough, and the wheels worked just fine even with an adult riding!! YAHOOOO Some of them even survived the trip relatively undamaged. πŸ™‚ Leggo blocks and Tinker toy/Lincoln logs, however, were usually crushed, but provided a similar hair raising experience for Mom and Dad anyway.

    Ah, the memories. πŸ™‚ Would you believe that my oldest son will soon be 50 years old? Good grief.

  6. Vin's Brunette Says:

    Oh no, Mama! I can just picture that … hope you weren’t injured too badly. πŸ˜‰

    And to think all this time I’ve been annoyed that the kittens like to hide all their toys under the couch & love seat, etc. — though we still have to be careful in the dark, mainly so we don’t step on the cats, who love to lie on the dark colored scatter rugs. Remind me not to buy them any Matchbox cars, or especially Tonka trucks — those wouldn’t fit under the furniture. LOL.

    Wish your son a happy 50th for us, when it’s appropriate. πŸ™‚

  7. MamaLiberty Says:

    Thanks, dear. And no, I don’t recall any particular injury from my wild rides down the hall… except wounded ego, of course. LOL

    The little matchbox cars fit under the furniture just fine, and are very difficult to pry out of the vacuum cleaner hose. πŸ™‚